Thomas Beatie took the world by storm when he became the first man to give birth in 2008. More than a decade later, Beatie is sharing where he is now and what his life looks like.
13 years ago, Thomas Beatie, a transgender man, was at the center of a media frenzy after he sat down with Oprah to talk about how he was pregnant as a man.
More than a decade later, Beatie has settled down outside of the media spotlight with his wife, four children, and his job as a stockbroker in Phoenix, but he hasn't completely escaped his title as 'the pregnant man.'
Images of Thomas Beatie and his wife. | Source: Instagram.com/megardu12 Getty Images Shutterstock
LIFE BEYOND PREGNANCY
Beatie is now 47 and is the father of four children. After having his first daughter, Susan, in 2008 with his former wife, Nancy, Beatie went on to deliver two more children before the couple separated in 2012.
Beatie managed to find love again four years later when he met Amber at his children's daycare where she worked. The two tied the knot and welcomed a child together in 2018, whom Amber carried and gave birth to.
BECOMING A TRAILBLAZER
Although Beatie has settled into a relatively normal life with his wife and children, the beginning of his family life was anything but normal or easy, especially with extensive media coverage that hovered over his family during his first pregnancy.
The father of four reflected on the ups and downs of his pregnancy with Susan, sharing the difficulties that came with him being a transgender man. Beatie said:
“It was really hard when my story came out. People were saying things on TV and in the media that if they came close to saying today, they would be immediately fired.”
NO REGRETS
While the difficulties of navigating the insensitive media were unnumbered for Beatie, he still doesn't regret going public with his story and journey to parenthood.
The journey wasn't easy as McConnell had to stop taking testosterone in order to conceive.
The 47-year-old father revealed that his story played an important part in opening people's eyes to the fertility of the transgender community and that they could also bring life into the world.
LIKE A BADGE
Beatie wears his title of 'the pregnant man' with pride because it allowed him to bring his children into the world. He opened up about his experience, saying:
"I was so proud to be a dad, and I'm still proud to be a dad. I'm so proud that I was the one to bring my kids into the world. It's kind of like a badge."
The spotlight may have moved away from the Beatie family, but the pregnant man still participates in public-speaking jobs or small acting roles every now and again, with his stockbroker job as his primary focus.
NOT THE ONLY ONE
Beatie may have been portrayed as the first pregnant man in the media, but he definitely wasn't the only transgender man carrying his own child. Freddy McConnell shares a similar journey because he also gave birth to his child.
McConnell, a multimedia journalist for the Guardian, transitioned when he was 25 and had top surgery but never had a hysterectomy because he wanted to keep the option of having children.
McConnell decided to document his journey to parenthood, and the product was the film "Seahorse." The journalist shared that it was important for him to contribute to positive transgender stories that aren't sensationalized.
The journey wasn't easy, as McConnell had to stop taking testosterone in order to conceive, but he received unmeasured support from his mother along the way, and the arrival of baby Jack made it all worthwhile for the new father.
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